George Clooney Escapes a War of Words With Dan Loeb

8/7/2013 2:57PM

Activist investor Dan Loeb is carefully avoiding a war of words with actor George Clooney after he had some choice words for Loeb's desire to break up Sony. WSJ's David Benoit visits Digits with the story. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... George Clooney study into a bit of a ... fight with Daniel Loeb the activist investor and download ... tries to signs that they will discuss back here and now on Digits good afternoon and welcome I'm Simon Constable David Benoit joins us from the ... deals to ask ... as the deals but nothing mounted MoneyBeat Akbank approving it but ... so what some what's a walk ... George Clooney serves as its candidate is how how any touched a hedge fund technical follow-on full responsibility and maybe this is the only there's no conscience of what the guy from engines ... and indeed is the single least qualified person to be making these kind of documents is that these dangers to our industry ... bass was towed to work with the sun was talk about them love and down the vocals point to ... shake up Sony which has become shall we say aam I sluggish ... March and yes lots of sliced last month and slow ... download the show back ... on says ... this piece of notwithstanding the fact that the media ... lecture dentist I'd Mamas that his passion for Sony and is loath to dissenting and his friends about ... that's very diplomatic for hedge fund guy in a specially demo who is known to have the poison and is ... often said about ... so what's going on here I mean normally these guys as friends but in a fight aam we we saw backpack Ackman and I'm I'm fine right certainly certainly this is a little bit of a chain greasy not awful lot of bickering among the hedge fund manager ... at its old everyone's George Clooney last but not sure Dan Loeb really has the full ... across the globe to fight with George Clooney ... quite as many people know the meeting ... think highly of him well ... yes ... but having said that the EU trying to say that Dan Loeb is afraid of George Clooney ... I'm not enough to take on George Clooney about what ... I wouldn't say that ... however there's a there's a I keep also difference ... since ... George Clooney made his comments last week to ... move on paper ... Sony itself has come out ... this week the kind of sad ... I listened and we appreciate your ideas relating to some things are worsening I can spin off the entertainment business into a public company ... which is what I do think it's ... best to do one missile bus came outside to realize that the mothers to sidestep this whether or not he's been taken on the opposite of a mass of relief at the so the question what he did he said look I'm on the George Clooney win in the stands that Sony's a public company ... public companies have to address the shareholders and the new now ... and I'm an investor that for a have the right to say ... when you get right I think I think Dan Loeb is is still deftly going to say I have the right to say what I said and ... I think what he was Dana ... in this interview Friday with the response is that ... essentially ... Sony's ... still got some work in progress but he can really part of this too is is that Japanese business culture and when we talk about this where ... it's difficult for an activist from the outside ... data from America probably be going shake up a huge Japanese company ... not an also has a lot of consensus building goes on within Japanese companies right is not a conflict it's not the Western wall full of creative destruction where ... we come and say well ok this is this is what you want to wreck it afire but if that doesn't happen exactly and so so ... seven ACA would like you know ... trying to sidestep the George Clooney but he's also trying to ... somewhat ... sidestep of a brutal fight with Sony he's not he's not going away certainly ... reason to keep pressuring them ... I think that's a big part ... he's not going away ... in my own mind of the chicken ... chasing this fall as I began to think if you think ... George Clooney has done I like the photo mug off the chart you love ... it is and I was ... interesting reading please constancy doesn't seem to be paying attention at the ministry was about to ask you about ... Sony or anything he really understood it seemed like for so long investors in Hollywood um when you're a star you're trying to show you don't Investors to remedy sometimes timetable Temasek money invested all of ... its well ... how much I don't think the other with some of the summer again does not appear like that does not delight October nine two and ... twenty three months and David Benoit I'm Simon Constable and that was digits ...